


Coffee with Tea Roses

by Ult_Daydreamer



Category: Splatoon
Genre: F/F, Lesbians, check out the zine on twitter, coffee shop date, it's hecking gay, oof, the first thing im posting lol, written for frost bytes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-22
Updated: 2020-01-22
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:26:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22355590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ult_Daydreamer/pseuds/Ult_Daydreamer
Summary: "The aftermath of a snowstorm dawns on Inkopolis. Marina decides to plan her date to be at a cozy establishment on the outskirts of town, away from the bustling city life. She's gone over her plan over and over again, and she feels ready, although her tentacles curl up in nervous anticipation. Inkopolis is covered in blankets of fluffy snow..."After a snowstorm, Marina decides to have a date with Pearl with something special planned.
Relationships: Marina/Pearl (Splatoon)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19





	Coffee with Tea Roses

**Author's Note:**

> woooooooosh, first piece posted on here...  
> This is actually my zine piece for the Frost Bytes Zine!  
> It's hecking awesome and the artists and writers did so well on it, please check them out!  
> Anyway, on to the fic...

Inkopolis was blanketed in a thick layer of white. While the trains remained stationary and transportation a bust, Marina just found it nice to walk every once in a while and to get away from the noisy hustle and bustle of a busy urban life. She strolled past young inklings laughing and grinning from ear to ear as they built snowmen and had snowball fights as their parents conversed. Teenage inklings strode past her in small groups, snippets of their conversations about holiday sales in Arowana mall. Christmas drew nearer by the weeks and eventually the days, but the unmistakable quality of winter had already enfolded Inkopolis in the appearance of blankets of fluffy, thick, snow.

Marina eventually stopped in front of a cozy little establishment close to the outskirts of town. Her mind drifted back to the memory when a few of the agents from the Squidbeak Splatoon had recommended it to her whilst she was planning for the date, and she had kept it buried at the back of her head until the day she had asked Pearl out. As she entered the café, her face was embraced with the warmth of a merrily crackling fireplace in the hearth. A sea of pleasant aromas such as freshly baked pastries and hot beverages tickled her nose, beckoning for a taste. Inklings and octolings alike chatted about the holiday season, and common Christmas decorations such as wreaths of holly and hung mistletoe were strategically hung for unsuspecting lovers to wander under. 

She took a deep breath as her long curled tentacles unfurled slowly, soaking in the warmth. She seated herself at a table placed near the huge, frosted window with the view of Inkopolis Square, then she called the waiter over and ordered herself a matcha latte and a plate of assorted pastries, reminded of the agent’s recommendations. She had initially wanted to order for Pearl as well- but she wasn’t quite confident enough if she’d get Pearl’s likings in order. She tapped her chin with a teal-tipped finger thoughtfully.  
What would Pearl like to drink? Or, even What represents Pearl as herself?

Of course, she knew if she ever got stuck on deciding, hot chocolate and different palettes of coffee were always a go-to, but Marina wanted something a little more representative. After a few minutes of deliberation, she had a final decision. She called the waiter back over.

“I’d also like a….”

After confirming her order, she leaned back on her chair, letting the toasty warmth of the café immerse her as any remnants of any frosted air faded into nothing, and the padded mahogany door creaked shut. She sighed as the warmth almost started to lull her to sleep, just as the door opened again for another wave of cold air re-immersed the café…  
“Yo Marina! Marina? Reena….”

She was soon snapped back to consciousness as a gloved finger, tipped with snow, tapped her nose. She jolted back sharply in her chair, looking at the individual in shock, but after a moment, her mind flashed with recognition. “Pearl!” She exclaimed, glad that she had finally arrived. Fashionably Late as always, of course. Then she stifled a small giggle. Now looking at her girlfriend with playful mirth, Pearl had arrived at the date with an oversized windbreaker with teal streaks (Whom upon closer inspection, Marina was pretty sure was hers) and orange boots, small and just about Pearl-sized. But the funniest thing- Was that Pearl was absolutely covered in snow- from the top of her hood to the toes of her boots.

“Glad you could finally make it, Pearl. You look like a penguin.” Pearl huffed in response, shaking some of the snow off her hood. “All of my clothes were in the wash, alright? This was the only jacket that was warm enough for this kinda weather.” Marina raised an eyebrow in amusement.

“My stolen windbreaker?” 

Her girlfriend flushed in temperature, and she stammered out something like: “I’ll return someday, okay?! It’s just so warm, and fluffy on the inside, and it doesn’t scrape the floor, and-” She was cut off by Marina’s tinkling laughter. “Keep it until it’s warm enough, okay? I forgive you, my Pearlie. My penguin girlfriend.” She gave a light, yet firm peck on her forehead and quickly dodged a playful whack from a flustered Pearl.

After Pearl had calmed down, she took a seat opposite of Marina, facing her. She took off the windbreaker to reveal a bright red sweater with Inklish inscribed in the thick material, then propped the jacket onto the backrest of the chair and took a few minutes to look around. “I like this place. It has a really chill and cozy vibe to it. Makes you feel really warm and fuzzy inside, y’ know?” Marina nodded. “I think this if the perfect place to hang out in, we both deserve some time off after all those weeks of writing and working tirelessly, don’t you think so?”

Pearl gave Marina her signature toothy grins, prompting Marina to return it with her own grin.

“Now that, I can agree on.”

The two began to converse on general topics for a while, talking about things like the upcoming few splatfests, events that the two wanted to inform the other about, and even some jokes and giggles were thrown into the mix. Marina’s gentle, pleasing bell-like giggles, and Pearl’s full-out bursts of gleeful laughter, her personality infused between each laugh. The conversation never seemed to end as whenever one began to run out of things to say, the other would chime in and thousands of new topics arose, just waiting to be discussed. Pearl was in the middle of talking about how adorable sea-bunnies were when she paused. “By the way, Reena. When’s our food coming? I heard from Four that the croissants here are the bomb. She told me I gotta try them.” Pearl shifted slightly in her seat to face the direction of the kitchen.

“I think the waiters are starting to bring them in. Look, here comes one now!” A nervous-looking young octoling donning a tweed waistcoat and a red bowtie approached them, a tray of various assortments of baked goods and steaming-hot beverages with huge dollops of whipped cream held in his hand. He approached them steadily, maintaining his balance with the teetering tray.

“I-I’m sorry for the wait, Ma’am! We were h-having some difficulties preparing your desired order because the coffee machine broke down, the chocolate powder spilled everywhere and the oven-” He stopped himself dead in his tracks as he observed the two ladies for a moment. “Are you… Pearl and Marina from Off The Hook?!”

Marina grinned. “Yep, that’s us. Don’t worry about it! On busy winter afternoons like these, some things are bound to go awry. I’m hoping everything back there is ok?” She inquired, smoothly. The octoling coughed politely and shifted his weight, making the cutlery and ceramic plates clink against each other gently. 

“Not a-at all, Ma’am! Nothing a little cleaning up couldn’t fix.” He placed the steaming plate of baked goods and necessary cutlery on the table, along with Marina’s heavily decorated mug of a steaming hot matcha latte and Pearl’s drink. Before he left he pulled out his notebook and pen. “Before I run along to help my boss, may I quickly ask for both of your autographs? I’d really appreciate it if you could sign it for me.” After the two had done so, and he gave them an almost childish grin of excitement and gave a bow. “Thank you so much! Enjoy your stay at Café de Cuttlefish.” Then he scurried away, towards the kitchen.

Marina clasped the mug with her hands and drank from the mug, the matcha powder gently mingling with the bubbly foam as she drank it. Pearl, on the other hand, curiously took the provided stirrer stick and poked at her drink a bit. It was hard to tell what the drink was, covered by a cloud of foam. “What is this?”

“You’ll see...” Marina assured, pausing in between wisps of steam rising from her drink. Pearl raised an eyebrow but lifted the edge of the cup to her lips, and her eyes widened. Underneath the foam, were hundreds of colors swirling in her coffee, as if the barista had brewed a kaleidoscope of vibrant colors straight from a rainbow along with the complex and alluring tastes of coffee and milk. Pearl was instantly hooked, drinking the brew with more vigor now, almost burning her tongue off in the process. When she finally lifted the cup away from her face, she found Marina nervously awaiting her reply. “Is it okay?”

She grinned in reply. “It’s perfect. Like drinkin’ a rainbow with a punch.”

Marina gave her a delighted smile, a gesture so simple yet it made Pearl flush and her ears tingle with heat. Marina’s smile made her feel so blessed, so carefree, so incredibly happy. “I’m really happy to hear that. Ready to taste the pastries now?” Pearl snapped out of her dreamy stupor and her eyes lit up in excitement. She, in fact, hadn’t had either breakfast or lunch yet. To put it simply, she was starving.

Just as Pearl was about to take a hearty bite into the crackly skin of the croissant, she paused. “Hey, Marina?” The octoling drew her attention back to her. “Yes?”

“Do you remember the day we had a snowy afternoon, just like this? The one before our debut? It feels so calm, yet so lively and I had this y’ know, feeling in my guts that everything was meant to be, and everything was right. The stars were aligning, the sun was shining-”She cut herself off, mid rap in order not to ruin the mood. “The point is… I haven’t felt this happy to be with you, chillin’ after weeks of hardships and an unforgivable workload since that afternoon. It really means a lot to me to see us this far in our dream.”

“It means a lot to me too. Ever since I climbed out of the Octarian Underground, I was purely focusing on the odds of escape and not the things I’d do afterward. I was so lost once the hardships were all over, I spent my first day free wandering on the grounds of Mount Nantai. I didn’t know what to do. Until I found you.” Marina leaned in, her eyes bright and twinkling, almost as if she was going to cry. Pearl’s heart skips a beat and then it beats faster, faster than hummingbird wings. She felt like she could feel what was about to happen, but she patiently waited for her girlfriend to finish. “I’m just so happy we made things work out. I love you as my coworker, my best friend, and my girlfriend. You are my Pearlie, and I’m so happy to have met you.” What’s she gonna do? Pearl’s thoughts whispered excitedly and anxiously, like nervous dogfish pups. 

“Pearl, I...”  
********************************************************************************************************  
The moment was cut short by the bang on the glass beside their table, just Pearl’s heart thought it was gonna explode. They both turned simultaneously to see Four and the other agents outside. Four, now instantly regretting her decision to stick her tongue on the frosted glass, was desperately trying to pull herself free along with the anxious-looking Eight and Three, who was unamused as she pulled. Once the dilemma was resolved, the three of them rushed in and joined them, Four instantly going for the still-steaming pastries while Three watched her like an observant albatross. Eight approached Pearl and Marina, an apologetic expression donning her face. “I really hope we aren’t interrupting anything too important…” The two grinned at the agent knowingly.

That afternoon, as the sunset drifted lazily below the horizon, the two of them both collapsed in their bed, exhausted and happy from their eventful outing. They fell asleep, holding hands, and on both of their ring fingers...

.. Were tiny little gemstones in the shapes of a little pink squid and a teal octopus, twinkling like stars.  
+++


End file.
